Talent From Afar

Mustafa Akailvi, a bright and outspoken professional born in India, made it all the way from Arkansas to attend the 2017 GTRI/NACSAE Career Fair. This remarkable individual has conquered many challenges in search of work, and his family back in India is noticeably proud of his accomplishments thus far. Not only does he hold a Master’s degree in Systems Engineering, but he also has the type of sociable personality necessary for high-tempo, communication-reliant career fields such as engineering. Employers such as Aerotek were able to share in the experience with Mustafa, a conversation he recalls being insightful and enlightening.

Mustafa attributes the success of his many interactions to his level of preparedness; by keeping a physical copy of a project he accomplished, employers were able to witness firsthand evidence of innovation. By giving concrete examples of his ability to design physical parts and abstract systems, he certainly stood out in the eyes of many employers. One thing he plans to modify for the next career fair is to have an even more extensive portfolio of projects, as there is always room for improvement when in a competitive environment. His most critical piece of advice for students is, when talking to employers, be as specific as possible in discussing learned concepts and achievement. This is because a prospective candidate’s main goal is to stand out amongst the rest of the talent pool.

Mustafa is thankful that the GTRI/NACSAE Career Fair was specifically geared toward international students, an aspect that he feels is quite rare in most other American job search events. He now has internalized the employment needs of companies in Michigan and emphasizes that moving to Metro Detroit is certainly on the table. We wish Mustafa the best of luck and commend him for his journey!